Combined with his contract extension, this means Mabior Chol of Hawthorn can feature prominently in Round One of the 2026 AFL season. The tribunal has overturned his three-match ban for rough conduct, clearing the way for him to play. The decision comes after a series of actions grounded in a recent report on the agency’s handling of a high-profile incident. This most recent occurrence happened on the prelim final against Geelong at the MCG.
The case came under renewed scrutiny from the AFL tribunal. Chol’s attorney, Myles Tehan, maintained that the action was just a tragic “football accident,” not the intentional or reckless act of dangerous conduct. In the original decision, a match review officer handed Chol a three-match ban. This ruling came about as a result of Chol’s participation in an incident that left Geelong’s Tom Stewart concussed.
Incident Overview
The controversial free kick that sparked a firestorm on social media came late in the first quarter of Geelong’s preliminary final win over Hawthorn. Unfortunately, Chol ended up getting tied up with Stewart and Sam Butler. In doing so, he lost the ability to control his feet. Tehan stressed that Chol had no control over the nature of the tackle. He had been looking forward to taking on an upright player and just flat-out whiffed on Butler’s first tackle due to traffic.
Chol’s actions during the play led to him pinning Stewart’s arms, restricting Stewart’s ability to protect himself. According to the tribunal panel, Chol failed to roll off Stewart until after the impact had already taken place. Stewart’s absence from this weekend’s decider is a real shame. Tehan assuredly told them that his client’s actions were reasonable at every step of the encounter.
Tribunal Findings
To put it just as AFL’s initial submission would have it, Chol didn’t meet the standard of care he owed to Stewart. Nonetheless, the tribunal panel agreed that even after hearing all the evidence presented, the claim against Chol that he acted unreasonably in the circumstance was not substantiated. From this, they concluded that the overall situation that caused the incident was multifactorial, including many elements beyond Chol’s direct control.
The tribunal did accept Chol’s genuine contrition for causing Stewart’s concussion. They recognized his remorse for the impact of the occurrence. Rather than allow the match review officer’s three-match ban to stand, they chose to overturn it. As a consequence of this decision, Chol is free to play come Round One of next season.
Implications for Future Matches
Chol will be another big inclusion for Hawthorn and he is sure to make a big difference. His year-long ban was recently lifted, allowing him to begin the season with the team. Beyond the facts of this case, this decision sets the standard for any future evaluations of similar incidents.
This is a case that players and teams will surely be watching closely. Aside from dramatizing the human cost of failing to keep players safe and prevent dangerous targeting behavior on the field. Football is a game in constant evolution. NFL Players Association While the league and its stakeholders have a vested interest in balancing competitive play with player safety, …
